Twitter 101, Part 3

Thanks for all of the feedback and responses from Part 1 and Part 2 of this beginner's guide to Twitter. I've tweeted with many of you already and I'm glad you're finding this guide useful.

You can't ignore Twitter's explosive growth -- up 700 percent worldwide from last year. Just last week, comScore posted these growth statistics and outlined the demographic profile of Twitter users. The conversation is only going to get bigger. The more you know how to use this tool, the more effective you'll become.

More Tools: TweetDeck and Seesmic Desktop

Last week I mentioned that new tools would surface over time to help enhance your Twitter experience. I didn't think it would happen so fast, though!

Seesmic Desktop, and updated version of Twhirl, is the newest competitor to TweetDeck. Fans of TweetDeck will probably like Seesmic Desktop because it has similar features. The one thing that differentiates Seesmic Desktop from TweetDeck is that it allows you to manage multiple accounts where TweetDeck only allows you one.

Both of these tools will probably duke it out as time goes on and gain more features. To read more about these tools, check out Mashable's comparison of these tools.

Parting Words of Wisdom

As you advance from novice to power Twitterer, let me leave you with some final words of advice and more tips and tools to help you along your way.

First, think of others before yourself. Give before you receive. Find relevant articles, tips, or helpful opinions and tweet about them. Then every once in a while go ahead and plug yourself or your company. This is the formula for a successful tweeting campaign.

If you're like me and stay busy 16 hours in the day, you might appreciate TweetLater. This excellent tool schedules your tweets so they get staggered throughout the day. People will wonder how you have the time to tweet all day long.

Another feature is the ability to set up actions like automatically following anyone who follows you. Or automatically send welcome Direct Messages (DM) to your new followers. A very handy tool.

How to Shorten and Measure Your URLs

With only 140 characters, you have limited space in which to add links to cool articles you've found. There are several URL shortening services, with more on the rise. Learn everything you need to know about each one and which is right for you in this comprehensive guide.

Furthermore, you can use tracking tools like bitly or snipurl to track CTRs. Find out how many people retweeted your post and how popular it became. Over time, you'll learn what kind of links your followers like the most.

Monetizing Twitter

Several people have asked how to monetize Twitter. This topic is on everyone's mind lately. It isn't as straightforward as anyone would like, but new models are emerging.

For business uses, "Twitter: The Local Monetization Strategy" provides some helpful ideas. Twitter might not be a strategy in and of itself, but it's a great tool to support many of your Internet marketing efforts and can be very effective.

That's it for this beginner's guide to Twitter. I've enjoyed pulling all of these tips, tools, and resources together for you. Follow me on Twitter (@ron_jones) and we can continue the conversation. I'll be happy to answer any questions or discuss new tools and uses for Twitter.

About the author

Ron was President/CEO of Symetri Internet Marketing, which provides strategic SEM consulting and training. Ron was actively involved in the SEM community and spoke at conferences and seminars, as well as hosting regional SEM events where he provided participants SEM training and education best practices. Ron also served on the Board of Directors for SEMPO and was also one of the authors for the SEMPO Institute Fundamentals and Advanced courses.

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